Cableway.



T. s. MILLER.

OABLEWAY. APPLIOATIOH FILED 11111. a4. 1009.

982,737. Patented Jan. 24, 1911.

W/TI'IESSES [NI/Ell ran f ATTORNEYS T. S. MILLER.

OABLBWAY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 84. 1909.

Patented Jan. 24, 1911.

4 BHEBTH-BHEBT 2.

[Ill/EN T08 WITNESSES I y zamu we;

T. s. MILLER.

GABLEWAY. 7 APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24. 1909.

Patented Jan 24, 1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' WITNESSES 91, CT M06 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS SPENCER MILLER, OF SOUTH ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

CABLEWAY.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, THOMAS SrnNoER MIL- LER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of South Orange, county of Essex, and State ofNew Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cableways, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention. is to enable the cableway to run athigh speed (say with a load carriage speed of 2,000 feet per minute)with durability.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of acableway containing one form of my present invention. Fig. 2 is a sideview of the load carriage with one fall rope carrier thereon. Fig. 3 isan edge or end view of the load carriage looking from the tail tower.Fig. 4: is an edge or end view looking from the head tower. Fig. 5 is anend or edge view of the fall rope carrier looking from the head tower.Figs. 6 and 7 are details of the operation of dismounting a fall ropecarrier from the carriage. Figs. 8, 9, and 10 represent the rope buttonin graduated sizes adapted for dismounting different fall rope carriersfrom the carriage. Fig. 11 is a longitudinal section of the button shownin Fig. 10, showing, also, the internal construction of the otherbuttons.

1 is the head-tower. 2, the tail-tower. 3, the load carria e. 4, a fallrope carrier and 5 a clam-shell ucket.

6 is the main cable.

7 is the button rope fixed at one end to one of the towers extendingover a sheave 8 at the other tower where it is under the tension of asuspended counterweight.

9 is the in-haul portion and 10, the outhaul portion of the tractionrope secured to the load carriage at 11 and 12. This traction rope isoperated by a suitable engine at the head-tower to propel the loadcarriage in the ordinary manner.

13 is the bucket holding rope one end of which is fixed to thetail-tower and which runs over the sheave let of the load earriage,thence under a sheave at the bucket, thence upward and over the sheave15 of the load carriage, thence over a sheave on the head tower and downto its rope drum on the engine.

16 is the bucket closing rope, the tail end of which is fast to the loadcarriage at 17 and which extends thence downward around a sheave attheloucket and upward over the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 2-4, 1909.

Patented Jan. 24, 1911.

Serial No. 485,406.

load carriage sheave 18 and thence over a sheave at the head-tower anddown to the rope-drum at the engine.

The bucket is raised, lowered, closed and opened by the combinedmovement of the ropes 13 and 16 imparted by their drums at the engine inthe ordinary manner. The sheaves 14;, 15 and 18 are shown as being inaxial alinement. The sheaves 19 and 19 engage the button-rope 7 andmaintain its proper position to cooperate with the loadcarnage.

20, 21 and 22 are the load carriage wheels running on the main cable.The wheels 21 and 22 are mounted upon the extremities of a rocker 23pivoted to the carriage frame at 24: so as'to make the carriage ridemore easily on the cable and also to distribute the load evenly upon thethree cable wheels.

25 is an oak buffer secured to the load carriage in the position shown,and provided with suitable openings for the passage of the ropes and thehorn.

26 is the horn whereon the rope carriers are carried by the loadcarriage. This horn is vertically adjustable by the screws 27 and 28,both with respect to its position vertically, and its angle ofinclination.

Each of the rope-carriers 4 consists of a frame, as shown in Fig. 5,carrying a roller rest 29 for the bucket closing rope, another 30, forthe in-haul rope and another 31 for the bucket holding rope. It alsocontains the diverging spring plates 32, 33, adapted to rest on thecable and slightly grip the same. It also contains the block 3 1 whichconstitutes a buffer to strike the horn and also a shoe to ride up andrest upon the horn. It also contains a button engaging head adapted toserve as a bulfer against the button by which it is actuated, and topermit the passage of those buttons by which it is not actuated, andwhich is constructed as follows: The slot 35 through which thebutton-rope passes is bounded on opposite sides by the steel plates 36and 37, the distance of which apart is regulated by the length of thethimbles b9 and 40 bolted in place by bolts extending through the sideframes, and the steel plates 36 and 37. In order to strengthen theplates 36 and 37 against spreading under the blow of the taperingbutton, they are flanked on the outside of the frame by the channelirons 41 and 42. This button engaging head is bent at an angle, as shownin Figs. 6 and 7, so that the its rope carrier abuts.

blow of the button will be a glancing blow received at an angle ofinclination by the steel plates 36, 37 instead of at right anglesthereto. This is a feature of great importance when operating at highspeed since it not only eases the blow of the button, but tends to easethe disengagement of the rope carrier from the horn. In this manner, therope-carrier-head is enabled to endure the shock without destruction ordistortion.

The button consists of a tapering sleeve 43 adapted to be threaded uponthe button rope and held in any posit-ion. It is abruptly or bluntlytapered on the end against which its rope carrier strikes in beingdismounted from the horn but is more gradually or sharply tapered on theopposite end. Interiorly, the button is bored cylindrically at 44, beingadjacent to the end against which It is bored with a taper thence to thepoint 45, whence it is bored cylindrically again to the opposite end.

46 is a taper pin which tapers at an angle corresponding with theinternal bore 45 so that when this taper pin is inserted within thestrands of the rope, said strands will be bulged to conform to theinternal taper 45 of the button, as shown. 47 is the hemp center whichis usual in these steel ropes and which is removed at the point wherethe pin 46 is inserted.

H 46 within the tapering bore 45 prevents the button from being drivenbackward by any blow received from its rope carrier; each succeedingblow havlng a tendency to wedge the button more tightly in its positionupon the rope. A spreader, shown in dotted lines at 50, is inserted inthe rope to prevent displacement of the thimble 48.

The cooperation between the button and its rope carrier is illustratedin Figs. 6 and 7. In Fig. 6, two rope carriers are shown as resting onthe horn and against the buffer of the carriage shown in dotted lines.The carriage is retreating in the direction of the arrow and the button43 is aboutto pass through the rope carrier4 and strike the rope carrier4*. The diameter of the button is less than the distance between thesteel plates 36, 37, of the carrier 4* and greater than the distancebetween the steel plates 86, 37 of the carrier 4 In Fig. 7 the carriagehas retreated far enough so that the button has passed through the ropecarrier 4 and struck against the lnchned surfaces of the steel plates36, 37, on the carrier 4 and slightly lifted the carrier 4 and isforcing it off of the horn. The carrier 4 will rest in this positionagainst the button 43 until on the advance of thecarriage it is againpicked up by the horn and returned to the position shown in Fig. 6.

I do not wish to be understood as limitin myself to a permanently orrigidly inclined head providing that'the head inclines at the stage ofthe operation enabling it to perform its function.

Having thus described my invention, what i I claim is:

1. In a rope carrier, in combination, the carrier body and an inclinedimpact head.

2. In a rope carrier, in combination, the

carrier body and an inclined head flanked 7'1 by the strengtheningflanged pieces 41 and 42.

3. In a rope carrier, a carrier body having an inclined impact face.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS SPENCER MILLER. Witnesses:

ERNEST PULSFORD, LoUIs G. RUGGLES.

